Psychiatry Registered Nurse

Psychiatry Registered Nurses work on our Adult Mental Health Unit and on our Child/Adolescent Mental Health Unit.

* If you are a current CVPH staff member interested in opportunities in Psychiatry, please reach out to the Recruitment Team at CVPHHRRecruiting@cvph.org

The Registered Professional Nurse is responsible for the management of patient care, utilizing the nursing process to assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient outcomes.  The nurse directs and guides the delivery of nursing care, patient education, and all care related activities, while maintaining standards of professional nursing collaborating with other disciplines as appropriate.  The RN in will be required to float to CAMHU/AMHU and the Behavioral Decision Unit in the Emergency Care Center during times of low census or unit needs.

1. Practices within the boundaries of the NYS Practice Act for Registered Professional Nurses and provides care according to CVPH (generic & unit-specific) Standards of Care and Practice.
2. Assesses patient by performing a functional health pattern/physical assessment on all patients as indicated when he/she is admitted, when a significant change in condition occurs, upon transfer to/receiving from another unit, and as defined by CVPH generic and unit-specific Patient Care Standards.
3. Verifies and/or transcribes and implements physician orders.
4. Develops/Revises plan of care to include discharge plan that prescribes nursing actions to achieve age-specific outcome goals for the patient(s) with various diagnosis.
5. Provides nursing care to the patient requiring monitoring/intervention with “Point of Care Testing” (e.g., fingersticks, stool/gastric testing),  patient care devices (e.g., PCA, Gemini, suction apparatus),  input/output tubes/devices (e.g., NG tubes, urinary drains, surgical drains, enteral feeding tubes), and other such devices/treatments.
6. Documents/communicates nursing care, physiological responses to other health care providers through verbal reports and patient record(s) as dictated by policy/guidelines; Reports to physician changes/deviations from expected norm.
7. Provides nursing care through utilization of the electronic information system, (e.g, Order Entry for orders, retrieving of lab data, etc)
8. Provides leadership and measures effectiveness of nursing care by providing supervision, delegation, monitoring/reassessment of all patient care as required.
9. Performs in crisis/emergency (e.g. code 99, 66) while maintaining a positive/ calm approach.
10. Provides prioritized patient/family education.
11. Provides nursing care for the patient requiring pain management (surgical, chronic and terminal) according to organization and unit standards.
12. Provides nursing care to the patient requiring medication administration by the applicable routes to include controlled substances; Utilizes the pyxis system as required.
13. Provides nursing care for the patient requiring blood/blood product therapy.
14. Provides nursing care for the patient requiring preventive skin care, wound management, pressure ulcer prevention/treatment and stoma care
15. Provides nursing care to the patient requiring various respiratory therapy modalities such as oxygen therapy and use of the inspirometer.
16. Provides nursing care to the patient requiring various respiratory therapy modalities such as oxygen therapy and use of the inspirometer.
17. Provides nursing care for the patient requiring specimens.
18. Provides nursing care to the patient requiring restraints/ protective/ supportive devices, wandering/elopement, seizure and suicide precautions, and the patient on fall protocol.
19. Demonstrates respect for the diversity of patient population providing comprehensive holistic care for the dying patient, including post mortem care and support of the patient’s spirituality.
20. Provides nursing care to the patient requiring IV therapy to include various routes (e.g., peripheral, central), methods (e.g., continuous, intermittent, IVPB, IVP), and solutions/medications (e.g.,  TPN, PPN, lipid infusions, medicated drips).
21. Provides nursing care for the patient requiring procedures/interventions to include lumbar puncture, chest tube insertion, thoracentesis, liver biopsy, bone marrow, etc, with or without sedation (conscious sedation).
22. Provides care using infection control practices as outlined in Medical Center policies/procedures (e.g. Universal Standard Precautions and Isolation Techniques).
23. Advocates patient rights and demonstrates a working knowledge of Advance Directive practices, organ donation and procurement as evidenced by completion of documentation as outlined by CVPH policy/procedures.
24. Manages conflict/identifies ethical dilemmas and assists patients and families in resolving.
25. Supports fluctuation in patient care needs by floating/overtime when required.
26. Provides care to the psychiatric patient from young adult to geriatric.
27. Participates as a member of the multidisciplinary treatment team.
28. Establishes therapeutic relationships with patients and families.
29. Provides psychosocial interventions for psychiatric patients.
30. Protects the rights of patients and acts as their advocate.
31. Provides for the educational needs of the patients and their families.
32. Provides multidemensional care to the patient with a psychiatric disorder.
33. Demonstrates the ability to effectively use verbal de-escalation therapies and PMCS training.
34. Performs psychiatric nursing assessments for both inpatients and outpatient settings.
35. Other duties as assigned.

CHARGE NURSE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Coordinates patient care activities in the department focusing on timeliness, quality and appropriate allocation of resources.
2. Assigns and delegates RN team members to patient care duties, selected nursing tasks to LPNs, and unlicensed personnel. Provides supervision, monitoring and outcome evaluation and follow up as necessary.
3. Exercises authority through collegial relationships to maximize department operations and patient outcomes
4. Performs customer service rounds and provide patients with updated information.
5. Serves as liaison for community physician and proactively collaborates with them in the provision of care.
6. Demonstrates the ability to utilize and access various specialized staff and resources for patient care outside of clinical experience and knowledge base.
7. Coordinates and assigns patient care, meals and shift breaks, on-duty inservices and meetings using nursing judgment based on an assessment of patients' needs and acuity and the skills/expertise of available nursing personnel.
8. Adjusts staffing requirements as changes occur in patient volumes, acuity, arrival time and length of stay.
9. Reviews patient condition changes, incident reports and follow up, safety issues and reports them to the Unit Director or other appropriate manager as indicated.
10. Serves as the resource person for other team leaders/staff in helping to resolve patient or family problems or other unit related issues. Stays current with new policies, procedures, standards and communications.  Seeks assistance from the Unit Director or other appropriate manager/Patient Care Coordinator as necessary.
11. Assures that all signatures and required narcotic administration documentation is completed on the NAR before staff are released at the end of the shift.
12. Other duties as assigned.

1. Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing.
2. Currently licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse in New York State.
3. Prior mental health experience preferred.
4. Experience with group facilitation preferred.
5. Clear, concise, empathetic communication as a basis for the therapeutic relationship.
6. Meets requirements of physical/pre-placement screening.
7. Provided documentation within the first 30 days of employment indicating no record of Child Abuse, Neglect, and/or maltreatment through the New York State Central Register.

As applicable, the individual has training/competency in attending to the special needs and/or behaviors appropriate to the age of the patients for which care is being provided.